Yeenoghu's Realm
Description and Geography Yeenoghu’s Realm consists of five broad regions, and all are more or less ruled by the Destroyer. Yeenoghu’s Realm is a dire place that has all the nastiest elements of the Abyss combined into one region of depthless evil, cruelty, and wanton destruction.The plane is filled with despicable creatures, from packs of feral demonic gnoll to a bevy of cackling demons and bestial fiends. From the remnant ghouls infesting his mountains, to the noxious creepers lurking in the depths of the Seeping Woods, Yeenoghu’s Realm is unique in its ability to spawn new embodiments of cruel and savage monsters. But for all the creatures dwelling in the realm, the layer feels empty. Great stretches of savannah lay undisturbed except for the hot wind blowing from the Curseswallows to the east. The mountains are still and quiet until pierced by the occasional shriek of the dying. Even in the vibrant forest of the Seeping Woods, nothing stirs. At night, the layer comes alive, when the hunters emerge from hidden grottos and filthy encampments to hunt. The screams of the slain, wet tearing noises, and the grunts and clashes of combat sound out, and the layer is pregnant with the coppery smell of spilt blood. 1 Dun Savannah By far the largest of the regions is the Dun Savannah, an endless sea of dead grasses punctuated with isolated stands of gnarled trees and dimpled with pools of brackish water. Here the gnoll run the wildest.The savannah extends north to the foothills of the Screaming Peaks. 1 The Screaming Peaks A jagged range of mountains clawing at the leprous skies. Little more than sharp rocks, slides, and scree, the mountains were once home to the realm controlled by the King of Ghouls. Even in his absence, it remains a dangerous place due to the undead dwelling here still. 1 The Sea of Tears The mountains give way to a great expanse of salt-wastes stretching as far as the eye can see. Little lives in these lands, though packs of ravenous ghouls or twisted demonic constructs can survive in these inhospitable wastes. Rumors hold this barren landscape marks the fall of a powerful champion of the gods. In the deepest depths, in a black sea of death, rest the remains of the murdered champion and the salt of the lands are in fact the dried tears of the deities who mourned his passing. 1 The Curseswallow The eastern extent of Yeenoghu’s Realm is a yellow sea known as the Curseswallow. Since the waters are poisonous, few gnoll roam its shores and many, in fact, keep their distance because all sorts of terrible creatures lurk just beneath the surface of the ochre water. The Curseswallow is a haven of sorts for those who escape the Beast of Butchery. Flotillas of refugees, exiles, and rebels sail the seas. Foremost of these fleets is the one commanded by the Cannibal King, a ruthless human rogue who captains the Harvester. He and his crew pressgang sailors to replace their fallen comrades and to serve as food for when their stores grow thin. The Cannibal King seems content to remain on the Curseswallow, but when he does brave the deeper waters of the Abyssian, his fleet returns swollen with a fresh crop of rotting hulks choked with depraved sailors. 1 The Seeping Woods Finally, to the west lies the Seeping Woods. By many accounts, this forest is infinite and spreads beyond Yeenoghu’s layer. Here, the gnarled trees grow tall, blotting out the sun with a tangled canopy of vines and yellow leaves. The splitting bark drips green sap stinking of rot. Crawling through the shadows are armies of toxic insects, slithering serpents, and poisonous plants. The Seeping Woods is by name under the control of Yeenoghu, but the Destroyer has had little luck in maintaining a standing presence here because the forest rebels at intrusions and gobbles up those who linger overlong. 1 Settlements Yeenoghu’s Realm is mostly untamed and savage wilderness, but a few settlements have survived in spite of the near-constant violence. Tiny logging settlements are scattered throughout the Seeping Woods, each harvesting wood and other materials to supply Yeenoghu’s war machine. These encampments never last for long and vanish soon after they are first established. The cost in terms of life and labor is high, but as the sole source of timber on the layer, new settlements arise each month. 1 Vujak-Riln Three permanent cities are also in Yeenoghu’s Realm. Least of these is Vujak-Riln. A small city compared to the others, it serves as a mustering place to mount new expeditions into the Seeping Woods. Gnoll and demon overseers round up “volunteers” and dispatch them into the forest armed with axes and dire threats. As long as timber comes out of the woods, their masters care nothing for what goes on in these darkened lands. 1 Vujak-Sesco Vujak-Sesco controls the northern extent of the realm. Behind its 300-foot-tall walls, gnolls, humans, and a bevy of other races toil for Yeenoghu, mining the mountains for iron and other metals with which they fashion the weapons of war. Corpses litter the streets, left where they are fallen to be worried by the jackals and hyenas brazenly stalking the streets. 1 Vujak-Kesk Vujak-Kesk is the seat of Yeenoghu’s cult. Here, his most fervid followers gather to perform awful rites and ceremonies in the name of their master. Blood pits serve to challenge new champions, pitting them against blooded gnoll, ogres, and others, so that the weak are winnowed out and the strong are tempered. Vujak-Kesk is also the point where Yeenoghu gathers his armies to march through the western Gathering Gate, a strange anomaly tying the realm to numerous other worlds and planes. 1 Yeenoghu's Fortress Yeenoghu disdains these cities, preferring instead to relax in the stinking throne room of his rolling fortress. Standing over 600 feet tall, ringed by a half-dozen walls, and packed with buildings separated by tiny, narrow streets, the entire structure weeps blood, and effluvia from its gutters and a pall of smoke swirls about it. Demons and slaves labor to pull the monstrosity, while vrocks circle above, cackling as they drop to feast on those crushed beneath its wheels. The fortress makes a circuit through the plane each year to remind the denizens of the realm just who rules here. 1 References #''Dragon 364 (Wizards of The Coast - 2008) - Demonomicon of Iggwilv:Yeenoghu By Robert J. Schwalb'' Category:Abyssal Layer